MANY WAYS OF BEING HUMAN

We notice the diversity ... and yet, we are far more similar than different.

We notice the diversity: Kimono clad women shop for silks, Guatemalans go to market, Egyptian men in gallibayas huddle against the desert sands, a Cambodian family finds home on a Mekong floating village and Indians live their lives outside on busy streets. They speak different languages, worship different gods, practice different rituals, hold different values and beliefs. 

And yet, we are far more similar than diverse. Within our respective cultures, we form language by assigning symbols to our experience. We assimilate the norms of our cultures. We are capable of deep emotions and feelings. We pass through similar stages of the life cycle. We think. We solve problems. Most importantly, we are social beings who seek attachments. We live in groups and form the families ubiquitous in all cultures. Relationships are the building blocks of our common humanity.

Japan (1966-67)

India (1963)